Wales: RPS backs e-cigarette ban in public places

Legislation to ban the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces in Wales has been supported by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), which warns that rising use of the devices threatens to normalise smoking once more.

A Public Health Bill put before the Welsh parliament on 8 June 2015 would bring rules on the sale and use of e-cigarettes into line with those for tobacco products.

A tobacco-industry-funded report by KPMG claims that the UK has seen a significant rise in the consumption of counterfeit and contraband cigarettes in 2014, the second highest increase across the whole of the EU.

The report asserts that this has been driven by an increase in illicit tobacco coming out of Belarus and Pakistan.

The illegal brand Fest accounted for 70% of cigarettes from Belarus and 40% of the total amount of ‘illicit whites’ in the UK.

All four major tobacco manufacturers operating in the EU – BAT, Imperial, JTI and PMI – jointly commissioned the report.

Children’s exposure to second-hand smoke in England has dropped 80% since 1998

A new study published by the scientific journal Addiction finds that in England, children’s exposure to second-hand smoke has declined by approximately 80% since 1998.

Also, an emerging social norm in England has led to the adoption of smoke-free homes not only when parents are non-smokers but also when they smoke. The proportion of children living in a home reported to be smoke-free increased from 63% in 1998 to 87.3% in 2012.

The study gathered data from over 35,000 children who participated in the annual Health Survey for England (HSE) from 1998 to 2012.

Additives in low tar (‘light’) may reinforce nicotine dependence

Pyrazine additives in low tar (‘light’) may be reinforcing the addictive qualities of nicotine, and should be strictly regulated, concludes research published online in the journal Tobacco Control.

The evidence suggests that pyrazines have sensory and pharmacological effects which act independently of, and in tandem with, nicotine, and were developed by the tobacco industry to make low tar (‘light’) cigarettes taste richer and smoother, and boost sales.

Nicotine dependence is a complex process, but is primarily caused by the ability of nicotine to prompt the release in the brain of dopamine, a chemical involved in pleasure, arousal, and mood change.

A growing body of evidence suggests that nicotine alone is not responsible for the intense addictive properties of tobacco smoking and the high relapse rate among people attempting to stub out their habit for good using nicotine replacement products.

The researchers scoured internal tobacco industry documents made available in the late1990s as a result of litigation and reviewed scientific research on the composition and role of cigarette additives.

Ireland: Two thirds of black market cigs sold in Dublin are ‘illicit whites’

An industry-funded survey has revealed that brands produced only for the smuggling trade, known as ‘illicit whites’ now dominate the Dublin black market in cigarettes.

In the tests, carried out in May, two out of every three packets bought were so-called ‘illicit whites’, brands that only exist to be smuggled, usually into the UK and Ireland.

The purchases, carried out by Detective Chief Superintendent, Kevin Donohoe and former Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector, Will O’Reilly, on behalf of tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris International, also showed that Moore Street in Dublin was the epicentre of the trade and that only illicit whites were for sale from eight people openly selling.

Air China staff suspected of smoking in cockpit on airborne flight

Air China staff are suspected of sparking up on a plane from Hong Kong to Beijing on June 2 after passengers complained about cigarette smells coming from the cockpit.

Four passengers complained to a flight attendant, who went into the cockpit twice and offered an apology. The flight attendant also persuaded the passengers not to make a fuss out of it.

All four passengers were assured that once landed in Beijing, Air China would initiate an investigation into the incident. All four also signed a safety disclaimer, saying Air China staff had offered satisfactory service and that they would receive notification of the investigation results.

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